Department for Transport

Freight Facilities Grant

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money is allocated in the current financial year to the Freight Facilities Grant; and what assessment they have made as to whether an increase would help relieve the shortage of HGV drivers.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department for Transport has not allocated funds in England for Freight Facilities Grant and hence no assessment has been made whether it could relieve the HGV driver shortage. The Freight Facilities Grant in England closed in 2011. The Government has already taken firm action to bring new drivers into the industry as soon as possible. These measures include training up to 6,000 new HGV drivers through skills bootcamps and the adult education budget, using MOD examiners to increase testing capacity by thousands over the next 12 weeks, sending nearly one million letters to all drivers who currently hold an HGV driving licence to encourage them back into the industry and offering time-limited visas to 5,000 HGV drivers. The Government is also providing £20 million through its mode shift freight grant schemes in 2021/22 to encourage modal shift from road to rail or water.